I’ve always wanted to make a difference. Growing up with loss — my dad was killed by a drunk driver when I was 15, my sister was placed in a nursing home when I was 11 and my mother died by suicide when I was 25 — it has always been important to me that my actions matter and accomplish some good. I suppose it’s a way for all I’ve been through to actually mean something.

I found out last week that they have. As a reporter for the Bangor Daily News covering the Down East, I recently did an article on Arise Addictions Recovery in Machias, Maine and its struggle to come up with $8,000 to pay off the building the organization purchased for its program. You can read that article here.

The following week, I ran into Paul Trovarello, Arise director, at Helen’s, a popular eatery in Machias. He thanked me for the article and said the organization had raised enough money to pay off the building in August without draining its $4,000 savings account. Thanks to the members of the community who made this possible.

I’m so pleased that the way I earn a living also makes a difference in the lives of others. My work has had a small part in helping this valuable program continue. For that opportunity, I am grateful.